By Yitskhok RudashevskiTranslated by Solon BeinfeldIntroduction by Samuel KassowThe Jewish QuarterlyPublished in 2024 154 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inPaperback Chosen as a finalist for the 75th National Jewish Book Awards! This issue of The Jewish Quarterly presents the diary of Yitskhok Rudashevski, a Jewish teenager in the Vilna Ghetto. An only child, Rudashevski was transferred to the ghetto at age 13 and used a small notebook to chronicle his experiences, wonder, hopes and regrets. The diary was later discovered in an attic which was the final hiding place for him and his parents. This remarkable translation of the diary from Yiddish provides a glimpse into the observations of a teenager whose belief in culture, history and knowledge defied the cruelty that surrounded him, all captured in his tender, honest voice. It is a crucial document of youth, innocence, and a refusal to be silenced. This new English translation by Solon Beinfield is preceded by a brilliant introduction by Sam Kassow, historian of Ashkenazi Jewry. His descriptions of the vitality of Vilnian Jewish life before the Holocaust, and the extent of the cruelty enacted therein, brings about a fuller appreciation of Yitskhok’s brilliant words that follow. Please note this book has limited availability. Items ship in 3 to 5 business days.
